Why Are Shops All Together?

[Hurricane51]

Is there a name for the collections of merchants selling, essentially, the same merchandise under one roof? Like Pantip Plaze, the cell phone frenzy in MBK, the walk along Petchburi to Pantip has one sunglasses shop anfter another.

[terry57]

Is there a name for the collections of merchants selling, essentially, the same merchandise under one roof? Like Pantip Plaze, the cell phone frenzy in MBK, the walk along Petchburi to Pantip has one sunglasses shop anfter another.

the name is mass consumerism working at its best reaping maximum profits for the owners.

M.B.K. and the third floor of telephones. ?

that a real wild place isn't it and the floor is always chockablock with punters.

gotta love that.

[Thaddeus]

Why Are Shops All Together?

To be were the shoppers are..... not that difficult to work out

[Donz]

Why Are Shops All Together?

To be were the shoppers are..... not that difficult to work out

[Hurricane51]

Why Are Shops All Together?

To be were the shoppers are..... not that difficult to work out

I was looking for a term to describe this kind of congregation of shops -- I believe there is a specific word or descriptive term.

[Casanundra]

It's also because Thai's don't like to walk so putting everything together sort of makes it easy for the poor souls to shuffle and slough along and not use too much of their own personal energy

[Kanine]

I would say it a trend in most of the places in Asia that i have seen. BKK, KL, Sing, Manila, shanghai...the traders seems to crept together ...actually I think its good for us consumers.

[ZZZ]

I think it's something Chinese. In any China town you can see entire streets where all the shops sell exactly the same thing. Must be very bad for the shop owners, but good for the consumers :-)

[kmart]

I think it's something Chinese. In any China town you can see entire streets where all the shops sell exactly the same thing. Must be very bad for the shop owners, but good for the consumers :-)

Soon as someone comes up with an original idea to sell something new, there will be 5 stalls set adjacent to them immediately selling exactly the same thing.

[fxm88]

See also: Business cluster.

[rak sa_ngop]

Is there a name for the collections of merchants selling, essentially, the same merchandise under one roof? Like Pantip Plaze, the cell phone frenzy in MBK, the walk along Petchburi to Pantip has one sunglasses shop anfter another.

If you visit the Old Quarter of Hanoi you will see the remenants of the old traditional Guild system where every trade had it's own guild and all members of that guild traded on the same street.

Even nowadays if you want to buy traditional woven mats in Hanoi you go to Hang Chieu where all the mat sellers are located. (Chieu is mat in Vietnamese, hang means goods). It's very difficult to find these mats elsewhere in Hanoi.

Unfortunately most streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi these days do not sell the goods they were named after.

However the practise of all traders of one type of goods being located together still seems to be the trading 'business model' of South East Asia. And for a native surely it makes sense that if you want to buy shoes you go to the place where all the shoe sellers are, and not have to tramp all round town looking in different place for them.

Its just us Westerners with our different Western culture (who maybe do not do not know where the shoe shops are located) who find this system rather odd.

[PhilHarries]

Is there a name for the collections of merchants selling, essentially, the same merchandise under one roof? Like Pantip Plaze, the cell phone frenzy in MBK, the walk along Petchburi to Pantip has one sunglasses shop anfter another.

If you visit the Old Quarter of Hanoi you will see the remenants of the old traditional Guild system where every trade had it's own guild and all members of that guild traded on the same street.

Even nowadays if you want to buy traditional woven mats in Hanoi you go to Hang Chieu where all the mat sellers are located. (Chieu is mat in Vietnamese, hang means goods). It's very difficult to find these mats elsewhere in Hanoi.

Unfortunately most streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi these days do not sell the goods they were named after.

However the practise of all traders of one type of goods being located together still seems to be the trading 'business model' of South East Asia. And for a native surely it makes sense that if you want to buy shoes you go to the place where all the shoe sellers are, and not have to tramp all round town looking in different place for them.

Its just us Westerners with our different Western culture (who maybe do not do not know where the shoe shops are located) who find this system rather odd.

A very good point, I hadn't thought of it from that perspective Why slog all around town to visit four shoe shops when they could all be next door to each other? The answer might be that it's bad for overall commerce. All the time you are passing other shops there is the chance you might think "Criminy, I really do need one of those thingy's".

But it doesn't explain why, out in the country miles from anywhere, you suddenly come across 8 or 10 roadside stalls selling those gaudy cushions for the back shelf. Then nothing for miles and then 8 or 10 stalls selling kites.

[kmart]

But it doesn't explain why, out in the country miles from anywhere, you suddenly come across 8 or 10 roadside stalls selling those gaudy cushions for the back shelf. Then nothing for miles and then 8 or 10 stalls selling kites.

Don't get caught out without your kite!

Those tacky cushions used to be a staple of the back shelf of Datsuns driven (erratically) by Asians in the UK. Essential "must have" items all.

[Heng]

See also: Business cluster.

Was about to say the same. It's amazing how a lot of folks automatically assume something unfamiliar to them must be bad for business.

[The Coder]

I like clusters of shops selling similar items like MBK (note I said similar, not identical), but Pantip plaza is different. The same company selling the same things with the same price sheets has many, many different store fronts, even on the same floor! Shopping around becomes a case of deja vu up 6 flights of escalator. This concept makes no sense to me.

[percy2]

Its just us Westerners with our different Western culture (who maybe do not do not know where the shoe shops are located) who find this system rather odd.

Ever heard of Saville Row

[Hurricane51]

I like clusters of shops selling similar items like MBK (note I said similar, not identical), but Pantip plaza is different. The same company selling the same things with the same price sheets has many, many different store fronts, even on the same floor! Shopping around becomes a case of deja vu up 6 flights of escalator. This concept makes no sense to me.

Do you know of a word that describes this type conglomeration? I thought I saw it on website detailing the types of shopping in Bangkok.

Speaking of Pantip, the touts hawking "sexy movie" are REALLY getting out of hand. I've had to fight me way through them, some blocking my way and putting their hand on my shoulder. And they seem to be at every other stand.

[joeintra]

I think everywhere is the same...You go to trade show, exhibition Most of them are similar but you can shop for price but in Thailand it's just a permanant trade show.

[poorfarang]

Mall

[ColPyat]

If you visit the Old Quarter of Hanoi you will see the remenants of the old traditional Guild system where every trade had it's own guild and all members of that guild traded on the same street.

Exactly.

And in Europe we had once exactly the same guild system.

[meadish_sweetball]

Its just us Westerners with our different Western culture (who maybe do not do not know where the shoe shops are located) who find this system rather odd.

Ever heard of Saville Row

All the diamond dealers in London seem to be concentrated in the same street as well.

[Greer]

Hey Hurricane51 - why bother fighting your way through that pile of crap called Panthip Plaza when you can get an underground train right to the front door of Fortune Shopping centre on Rachadaphisek - or if you drive there is a HUGE carpark upstairs - and the place is much bigger, better and more pleasant than Panthip.

I thought the shops grouped together like that were usually referred to as a shopping centre...maybe thats too simplistic though, I grant you...

Is the OP an American by any chance - they always seem to be looking for complicated words to describe simple things!

/edit spelling

Edited October 28, 2006 by Greer

[cathyy]

The OP is on to something. I noticed it my first trip here. In The Mall, all the gold shops, shoe shops, furniture shops, drugstores, electronics shops, etc. are all located in their own groupings. It does make navigating easier, as you need only remember the location of the block of stores rather than a specific shop. It makes comparison shopping a breeze. I don't see it so much downtown, but the rural place we buy our barbecued pork and chicken is one of about 4 in a row.

[backflip]

I'm with the OP: I hate it when merchants and mall management make it easy to compare prices and features. I really hate it. I really dislike that all of the mall food outlets are congregated in one area. I'd much prefer having to place hide-and-seek for food. Why do stores put all of the women's shoes in one department? I really hate that. Why can't they put a pair of shoes next to men's white underwear, and the stinky tofu stand. Why make it convenient for consumers. I really hate that.

[sbk]

If you visit the Old Quarter of Hanoi you will see the remenants of the old traditional Guild system where every trade had it's own guild and all members of that guild traded on the same street.

Exactly.

And in Europe we had once exactly the same guild system.

Is the gun street in Bangkok along those lines? Or do you think the govt will only license gun sellers in a certain area? (My brother-in-law too me once, amazing street).

[Hurricane51]

If you visit the Old Quarter of Hanoi you will see the remenants of the old traditional Guild system where every trade had it's own guild and all members of that guild traded on the same street.

Exactly.

And in Europe we had once exactly the same guild system.

Is the gun street in Bangkok along those lines? Or do you think the govt will only license gun sellers in a certain area? (My brother-in-law too me once, amazing street).

Ok, I never said I didn't like the arrangement. I didn't communicate my point very well (if at all!). I was looking at it from the merchant's point of view.

I wonder how the merchants differentiate their stall from the others, as I certainly don't see an difference beyond selection. Prices are pretty similar. It seems to come down to location, and I wonder whether some of the vendors might not be better off somewhere else. I can see a few being successful along Sukhumvit for example. If you are not hard core shopping and you just need a few things, it would seem to make sense. Besides, you could charge a higher price.

ALSO -- I wondered if there was a word that described this arrangement, rather than saying, "You know where all the merchants of a certain product set up stalls under one roof." I seem to remember coming across it a while back.

[Heng]

Ok, I never said I didn't like the arrangement. I didn't communicate my point very well (if at all!). I was looking at it from the merchant's point of view.

I wonder how the merchants differentiate their stall from the others...

Like any other businesses anywhere else in the world. They find a way (and from your post, it's likely that you aren't in tune to how they are differentiating themselves). That's why you'll see a Hua Seng Heng gold shop next to say a Chap Tien Seng shop, same area and shop size, same number of counters, plenty of stock, but 8 out of 10 customers will walk into the Hua Seng Heng shop. Take most food courts, dozens of noodle vendors, but almost invariably, there will be 1-2 that are the most popular... looks the same, vendors look the same, the noodles look the same... but the customers can tell the difference. Why don't the less successful move somewhere else? Well, because somewhere else is often where the customers aren't. It's the same reason why you'll often see Tesco Lotus and Carrefour hypermarts located not so far from each other.

[meadish_sweetball]

but 8 out of 10 customers will walk into the Hua Seng Heng shop

...?

[Heng]

but 8 out of 10 customers will walk into the Hua Seng Heng shop

...?

Meadish, that's like suggesting there is some kind of collusion between all the airlines that have Air in their names.

[chiang mai]

Is there a name for the collections of merchants selling, essentially, the same merchandise under one roof? Like Pantip Plaze, the cell phone frenzy in MBK, the walk along Petchburi to Pantip has one sunglasses shop anfter another.

It's called clustering and it's fairly common in Asia. In Korea for example you never see just one fried chicken shop you see five or more together.